"Sometimes, I curse my destiny for giving me such strength and such responsibility. I had to do so much wrong in this life, all for the greater good." Xaen took a deep breath, shaking his head.
"I wish there were better ways. It would've been so nice if I had never received these powers. I wouldn't have had the burden to use them for the greater good. I could've lived and died without having any worries."
The glass in his hand shattered as he applied a bit of force without realizing it. The glass pieces stabbed in his hand, making his hand bleed.
"My hands had the blood of others on them," he added, sighing. "I killed the innocent kids to keep a secret. I killed the families of people to stop them. I even killed one of my teachers. So much blood..."
"I thought everything was going to be fine after you had stopped fighting for the wrong side. Everything was going smoothly. I was happy... I was peaceful. I didn't have to kill anyone else for years. Moreover, I have also received a friend..."
He observed the pained look on the face of Grandpa Chi. "I wish things could've been different."
" I wish I didn't have to kill more people. If only he hadn't refused my offer, everything would've been fine. But he didn't... And they also know what I did. It was only a matter of time before they found you and told you everything. I couldn't let that happen.'
"No matter what you think, my friendship wasn't fake. I truly considered you my friend. I guess I really shouldn't have made the mistake of getting attached to a person. It would've been so much easier."
Xaen turned his back on Xaen. "I'm sure you already know what I did after hearing the truth?"
"You poisoned me with the same thing that you found in the forest."
"That's right. As expected you deciphered this. The poison I gave you is my own creation. I used the plant I discovered and managed to amplify its effects. Not only is it more effective than what the kids had, but it also acts faster now."
"You, my friend, are only the second person I'm using this on. Now you don't have any strength. I can kill you, and you won't be able to stop me. The Dark Wizard is no more now. You're truly a mortal."
"If only I had this formula when we were clashing, I wouldn't have had to go for your family."
"My family? What do you mean? Wait, you said you had to kill families to stop people? You mean..."
"That's right. Now that the truth is already out, I don't need to hide anymore. I was the one who killed your family. One of my darkest moments."
"You! I'll kill you!" Grandpa Chi tried to force his body to stand, but it couldn't.
"I forgot to mention. I added more things to the mix. Not only does it remove your powers, but it also slowly paralyzes your body. You can't move your feet, but this feeling will spread all over your body within minutes. Soon, you won't be able to move anything other than your head."
"I should never have trusted you..." Grandpa Chi declared, realizing that Xaen was telling the truth. He couldn't even move his hand at the moment.
"I would agree with that point because there are still some flaws in the formula. It doesn't work if you don't drink it. Even if I place this on an arrow and stab you, it won't work. So I really should thank you for drinking."
"That only leaves one problem for me now. I want to kill him, but he's even more difficult to kill than you were. Fortunately, I have a plan for him."
He stepped closer to Xaen and sat on his knees, facing Xaen. "Don't worry. I won't kill you. I'll let you live. No matter what happened between us, I still consider you my friend."
" After everything is over, I might help you with the paralysis. Your powers can never return though."
"We talked so much, but it still didn't ask who I'm talking about?"
"You think I won't know after you said all this? You want to kill my Grandson? Heh, good luck trying. This old man sees more shine in Lucifer than he did in himself. Moreover, unlike this fool of an old man, the young guy isn't as trusting. He will kill you!"
"See? When you talk like that, it hurts me." Xaen sighed. "Don't tell me you want your best friend to die? I'm standing on the right side. All I want is to stop Lucifer from bringing a calamity. I can't let him kill me."
"Honestly, it would've been much better if Lucifer had come to your house directly." Xaen rubbed his chin.
"You're right about that. He's more careful than I gave him credit for, but even people like him often make the mistake of trusting others. And I have a person just like that..."
He clapped his hand once, bringing a portal before the old man.
"In the meanwhile, let me help you a bit."
Grandpa Chi fell inside the portal. The portal closed.
"Take a rest. Everything will be over soon." Xaen commented, standing up. He disappeared as well.
He appeared on top of the Academy of Gifted Variants. He had a clear view of the city from there; however, he felt a bit lonely.
He and Grandpa Chi have been friends for quite a lot of years. Their bond was certainly special for Xaen, who was all alone in his life for the most part. However, he had to make the same man suffer again, all because of Lucifer.
That made him feel even angrier at Lucifer.
"At least the old man won't interfere in my business now."
" It's just him and me now. Even that won't be the case for long." He sat on the roof and brought a different wine bottle now.
"Time to drink one for real. It's truly a sad day."
He gazed at the lonely moon while sitting alone with a bottle of wine in his hand.
Another person who was looking at the moon was Lucifer, who had a clear view of the moon from the window in Jake's room.
His hands remained behind his back as he observed the beautiful moon, which was spreading its luminescence everywhere.
Looking at the moon, he couldn't help but remember some lines he heard Grandpa Chi speak.
"People say that the night is dark, but even at night, there is always a light."